Epilogue #2
When I got to the house, I saw Briggs still wasn’t home, so I left the Bronco parked in front of the house and hurried inside. Maizie was still in the studio sorting orders that I was set to deliver to the club for the party tomorrow night.
“Here. I hope you drank a lot of water. Go try some of these,” I told her as I handed her the bag and pushed her to the hall bathroom.
“Jeez, how many did you get?”
I stood in the hallway for reasons unknown. Was I going to ensure she peed on the stick correctly? Slamming car doors had me on the stairs in a heartbeat.
I hurried into the kitchen and got a bottle of water for Maizie in case she needed to fill the tank again, and just as I was running back up to deliver it, Briggs’s laugh sounded through the front door.
“And the cost overruns are bullshit, but I’ll call the general contractor tomorrow. Are you available if I can get an hour with him? The foreman is probably just trying to line his pockets.”
I knocked on the bathroom door. “I’m leaving a bottle of water out here if you need more. I’ll entertain them downstairs. Oh, Barrett’s here. Bye.”
I raced down the stairs to find Daddy reaching into the cabinet over the refrigerator to get a bottle of bourbon. “I’ll have one of those too, Daddy.”
“Hi, sweet boy. How was your day?” Briggs asked.
“Where’s my little girl?”
I wondered for the first time how things would change if she were pregnant. Maizie and Barrett played a lot more than Daddy and me. We only went to the club about once a month. They went once a week. Had Maizie considered what would happen if she were pregnant?
“She’s upstairs in the restroom. She’ll be down in a minute.” Or three, according to the boxes…
Briggs poured each of us a drink and turned to Barrett. “I have wine if Maizie wants a glass. She likes white, right?”
“No!” I blurted out.
Both of them stared at me. “I mean, uh, she might want something else. She’ll be down in a minute.
” Change the subject! “Oh, I spoke to Madison Roper today. She wants me to come on Monday to talk to her about my designs. She wants all the stock I have on hand, and she suggested I reach out to some manufacturing sources. She said I’ve tapped into a niche. ”
“Teller! That’s fantastic!” Maizie said as she came into the kitchen. Her face was blank, but I could see she was nervous.
“Baby girl, you want a glass of wine?” Barrett asked her.
“Uh, no. I’m having water. When you finish your drink, can we go home? I’m kind of tired.”
Barrett reached up to touch her forehead. “Yeah, sure. Get your coat, and we’ll go now.” He then looked at Briggs. “If she’s not sick, I’ll go with you to the meeting. If she is, go ahead without me and call me later to catch up.”
The two of them left in a hurry, and I sat across from where Daddy was standing. “Do you still want to go to the party tomorrow night?” I asked.
“Unless she’s contagious, why not. I like playing Santa. It’s fun.”
That was all I needed to hear.
Briggs
I was standing at the side of the stage waiting for Mistress Geraldine to introduce me.
This year’s party had sold out the first week, so it was moved to the main room instead of the little room.
As I looked around, I noticed a lot of the littles were wearing clothes my Teller had designed.
I hadn’t seen him yet. When we got to the club, he scurried off to the restroom without a word.
A tap on my shoulder had me turning around.
It was Geraldine with the bag and the bell.
“I was told that Teller will be here in just a moment. I’ve heard very good things about his creations.
I’m thinking about adding a boutique to the club.
Would he be interested in selling some of his creations here if I figure it out? ”
Geraldine was wearing a brown leather leotard and had a red rubber nose and antlers to complete her Rudolph look. She looked sexy—if one went that way.
“Well, he’s considering an exclusive contract with Madison Roper. She presented it to him this morning, and he asked for the weekend to think it over, but I’ll mention it to him later that you’re interested. We can probably work something out.”
“Thank you, Daddy Briggs.”
“I’m ready.”
I turned to see Teller rushing down the hall in an adorable elf costume with red velvet shorts like my Santa suit and a green striped leotard. The hat he was wearing was exactly like mine. God, I loved him so much.
Geraldine walked out on the stage in mile-high brown knee-length boots and took the mic from the DJ.
“Happy holidays, my friends. We’re so glad you’re joining us to celebrate the holidays with our littles!
Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for—oh, and tip your servers. Here comes Santa Claus!”
Teller took the bag, and I took the bell, ringing it as we got on the stage. “Ho! Ho! Ho! Let’s have a party!”
I sat down in the throne from the year before, and Christmas music played over the speakers. Teller invited the littles up one at a time, then he brought over a tray of peppermint soda shots in candy shot glasses for the rest of the guests who wanted pictures with Santa.
The leather bears were kind enough to stand next to the throne instead of sitting on my lap, but their cubs sure snuggled up. I could have sworn I heard Teller growl a few times.
Once the line was exhausted, I pulled Teller onto my lap. “I love you, little elf. Would you rather dance or go to the littles’ room to play?”
“Can we sit here for a minute?” Teller asked.
I pulled him closer, and he unbuttoned my Santa jacket and kissed my chest. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I’m a lucky Santa. Do you want to go somewhere for Christmas? We can go to Taiwan or London to celebrate.” I could imagine having a lot of fun on a Christmas vacation.
“Maizie’s pregnant,” Teller whispered as he pointed to where she and Barrett were dancing together. Barrett’s smile told me he was quite happy with the news.
“I bet Barrett’s happy. Do you want kids, baby boy?” We’d never discussed it. I had a hard enough time getting him to marry me.
He lifted the black satin bag. “There’s something still in there,” he said.
I reached into the bag and found a black ring box. “Oh! Did someone lose this, or were they going to give it to someone? Nobody said anything.”
Teller pulled it out and looked at it before he sank onto his left knee.
“It’s mine, Daddy Briggs. If my contract works out with Maddy Roper, I’ll have my business launched.
I’ve been looking into manufacturing options and I found a small textile mill and clothing manufacturer in Denver that sounds promising.
Will you act as an adviser to me so I don’t fuck it up? ”
“Of course I will, sweet boy.”
“Good, then will you marry me?” He flipped the lid on the box to show me a titanium band with two rows of diamonds around the edges. It was beautiful.
“Teller!” I stood and touched his gorgeous brown hair under his Santa hat. “I would love nothing more than to marry you.”
And that was no damn lie!
We were married on Christmas Eve in a small ceremony before we got on a plane to Colorado. Our honeymoon was as beautiful as our life was set up to be.
We went on to have two successful businesses and three godchildren thanks to our best friends, Barrett and Maizie Tarry. It was a joy to love their children—and send them home to Mom and Dad.
My life before Teller came into it was solitary.
Lonely, but I’d resigned myself to suffering in silence.
When I met Teller in the men’s department of Bloomfield’s Department Store, I had no idea my future had walked up to me in the most incredible package I’d never seen coming. And what a beautiful future it was!
If you enjoyed “A Little Christmas 4: Teller,”why not check out all of the stories in the series?